The field of art to which this invention pertains is the catalytic dehydrogenation of a dehydrogenatable hydrocarbon to produce an olefinic or aromatic hydrocarbon. The preferred use of the subject method is in the dehydrogenation of alkylaromatic hydrocarbons such as the conversion of ethylbenzene to styrene. The invention is specifically related to the injection of an oxygen-containing gas into a bed of selective hydrogen oxidation catalyst located in the dehydrogenation zone effluent stream.